OECD Conference on consumer education

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Dora Ethel Kelley
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1 OECD Conference on consumer education 24 october 2008, Paris Isabella Marras UNEP DTIE 1

2 World gross product 2

3 3

4 Our Consumption Continues to Increase 4

5 While Earth s capacity to support us continues to decrease GEO 4 5

Challenges & Opportunities Over the past 50yrs, Humans have changed ecosystems + rapidly & extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history Challenges: Consumption Patterns

6 Challenges & Opportunities Over the past 50yrs, Humans have changed ecosystems + rapidly & extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history Challenges: Consumption Patterns Production Patterns Impacts env. & health Degradation of resources Individual v/s common goods Opportunities: Env. & SD Policies Env. an economic stake More Responsible actors Awareness of consumers Scientific & social genius of humankind 6

7 The consumers paradox I d like to end poverty, stop violence and racism, and get rid of pollution. Everyone should be equal. Sustainable consumption: the BIG IGNORANCE I want to dress in the nicest clothes, drive a great car, talk on the latest mobile phone, and watch my brand new DVD 7

8 Why me? I do not have the power to change things & in any case it is not my fault 8

9 Everyone s urgent business 9

10 The Marrakech Process A global process to support the: implementation of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP), and elaboration of a 10-Year Framework of Programmes (10YFP) in support of regional and national initiatives to accelerate the shift towards SCP. It responds to the WSSD, Johannesburg Plan of Implementation,

11 A UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development Aims or thrusts of the Decade 1) Promote and improve quality of education requisition of lifelong learning and skills and values needed by citizens to improve their quality of life 2) Reorient curricula: from preschools to higher education, education must be re-thought to become a vehicle of knowledge through patterns and values needed to build a sustainable world 3) Raise public understanding and awareness of the concept of ESD and demonstrate how to put it in practice. 1) Educate the employed: TVE of managers and workers in trade and industry to enable then to adopt sustainable modes of production and consumption (purchasing) 11

12 SC and the UN Decade Translate sustainable development in daily actions 12

13 The vision We need a new generation of consumers, producers and decision-makers who understand and integrate sustainability in their personal and professional decisions We should progress from the idea that consumers should only be protected and empower them to be actors of our present and future world (Paolo Soprano, Task Force secretariat, Italian environment ministry) 13

14 ESC challenges today Consumerism at the core of the global society: pressures, impacts and unbalances Lack of understanding of the need for a shift in patterns Priorities Understand patterns of consumption and their cultural values (research, experiments) Develop creative tools and pragmatic approaches to generate new cultural models of reference through formal and informal education Motivate policy-makers and stakeholders, create ESC networks Contribute to the international debate on SCP 14

15 UNEP work on ESC "Eco-tips for jeans" 15

16 For more information

Sultanate of Oman Ministry of Education. Muscat Declaration

Sultanate of Oman Ministry of Education Muscat Declaration Conference on Education for Sustainable Development in Support of Cultural Diversity and Biodiversity Organized by the Sultanate of Oman in collaboration